Pseudo-Continuous Arterial Spin Labelling (pCASL) was used to assess cerebrovascular dysfunction of mice having traumatic brain injury (TBI) - which had been induced via serial controlled cortical impacts. Resting perfusion was quantified in absolute units via multiple post-label-delay pCASL experiments, and found to be reduced in the lesion. Furthermore, vascular reactivity to hypercapnic challenge, assessed via pCASL, appears to be enhanced in initial results. These results, in conjunction with immunohistochemical analysis and T2-weighted structural images, imply severe damage due to TBI, with vascular adaptation in the form of angiogenesis as the response from the brain.
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